ASSIGNMENT #1: From Above

As The Family Photojournalist grows, we will continue to add features to assist in your journeys in documenting family life!

Our latest addition will be The Family Photojournalist Assignment. The rules are very simple. We will provide you with an assignment and a deadline. You shoot, edit, and send us your favorite photo from the assignment. Photos must be resized to 800 pixels on the longest end (I crop my images to 8x5.33x100ppi in Photoshop). We will feature some of the exemplary examples in a blog post.

The Family Photojournalist Assignment #1 is called "From Above". This is an exercise in composition. All too often we take photos while standing up or on our children's level. This assignment requires you to look at things a little differently. You must take the photo from an above perspective. So get out your ladders, climb balconies, or peek out windows in order to get your shots! Your examples should be sent to thefamilyphotojournalist @ gmail.com by June 22, 2010.

Below are two examples (which happen to be two of my favorite all time images):

1. Ocean City, New Jersey. Neither my wife nor I vacationed as children. So we made a pledge that every year, we would do some sort of vacation with our children. This particular year we did a long weekend stay at a hotel in Ocean City NJ. My wife and oldest child were swimming in the pool as I was lounging on a chair taking photos. I only had a 35mm lens and I wanted a wider shot of them, so I started looking for options to back up. The only option I had was a balcony above me. So I climbed the stairs, observed the scene, and waited for the 'decisive moment'.

2. Ocean City, New Jersey II. We rented a very small 1BR apartment (about 400 square feet) that was ocean front. Our thinking was that we wouldnt spend much time in the house and loved the idea of being on the beach. Well, it rained almost all week! And we were stuck inside more than we hoped to be. This was one of the few moments where my boys were outside. I was sitting in the empty chair snapping shots as my children played in the sand. Again, I thought an above perspective would tell a better story. So I climbed up to the second floor and snapped the photo. I decided to leave the chair in the frame to illustrate where I was sitting.

Have fun with the assignment! We cannot wait to see what you all come up with!

Chuck